A seminar organized by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) discussed the role of economic and fiscal instruments in countries' intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs), which are part of the UN process to reach a universal agreement on climate change at the UN Paris Climate Change Conference in December 2015.
The seminar also launched the Climate Change, Environmental Taxation and Economic Instruments Network to foster a regular exchange of information among specialists on related practices.
7 September 2015: A seminar organized by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) discussed the role of economic and fiscal instruments in countries’ intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs), which are part of the UN process to reach a universal agreement on climate change at the UN Paris Climate Change Conference in December 2015. The seminar also launched the Climate Change, Environmental Taxation and Economic Instruments Network to foster a regular exchange of information among specialists on related practices.
The event, titled ‘Climate Change and Environmental Taxation in Latin America and the Caribbean,’ brought together government representatives and expert researchers from Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe working on the linkages among the environment, sustainable development, and economic instruments and environmental taxation. Participants discussed experiences in public policy design and implementation around these themes.
Jürgen Klenk, Principal Advisor, ECLAC-BMZ/GIZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) Cooperation Program, noted that states have various fiscal instruments at their disposal to correct negative environmental impacts of economic development. He stressed the link between fiscal policy and climate change, and noted that the use of fiscal tools in environmental policy “requires a constant effort in order to contribute to sustainable and inclusive development.”
Stressing the need to strengthen public services, Joseluis Samaniego, Director, Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division of ECLAC, highlighted water and solid waste management and public transportation as mitigation policies with high levels of social inclusion, and stressed the need to identify inclusive adaptation measures.
The seminar, organized on 7 September at the ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile, in partnership with German cooperation (GIZ), was part of a week-long series of activities by ECLAC on climate change. [ECLAC Press Release] [ECLAC Event Webpage (Spanish)] [ECLAC Event Programme (Spanish)]